Toronto 
The Royal Canadian Mint has issued a new colourful commemorative circulation loonie to celebrate the life and artistic legacy of Jazz giant, Oscar Peterson.
From left to right: Phyllis Clark, Chair of the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) Board of Directors, Marie Lemay, RCM President and CEO, The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Kelly Peterson, Céline Peterson and Norman Peterson unveil a commemorative $1 circulation coin honouring Oscar Peterson at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, ON (August 11, 2022). (CNW Group/Royal Canadian Mint)
The coin was unveiled yesterday at Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto. The commemorative coin will begin circulating on August 15, to coincide with Oscar Peterson’s birthday.
Oscar Peterson who rose to the top of the music world through more than six decades of electrifying piano performances and unforgettable compositions such as Hymn to Freedom, Blues Etude and The Canadiana Suite is the first Canadian musician to appear on a circulation coin.
The circulation coin is limited to a mintage of three million coins. Two million coins feature a purple accent, Oscar Peterson’s favourite colour.
Ajax artist Valentine De Landro designed the coin. The accomplished comic book artist, illustrator, and designer’s illustration on the coin features Oscar Peterson at the piano, with his hands in full motion, from which emerges a flowing musical scale showing two closing bars of his famous Hymn to Freedom. Mr. Peterson’s name completes the design.
FOR COLLECTORS
For those interested in collecting the coin, a six-piece Collector Keepsake coin set which includes coloured and uncoloured circulation coins is available for $24.95. The coin set is packaged in a richly illustrated collector card that contains one of each currently circulating coin, from five cents to two dollars.
Other collector products include special wrap rolls of 25 one-dollar circulation coins in coloured and uncoloured versions.
A 1 oz. fine silver $20 coin with a mintage of 5,000 is available for $99.95 and a $200 pure gold version of 400 mintage is available for $4,099.95.
The collectible coins may be ordered by contacting the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or online. They are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint’s Ottawa and Winnipeg boutiques, as well as through the Mint’s global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.
If you rather try your luck, the circulation coin might reach you through change via bank branches and businesses.
